In the immediately previous example, any occurrence of [mua] thereafter would mean [pumelbi], or "was good-looking". The pro-bridi keeps the same tense as the original selbri.

Pro-bridi not only reference the relation (selbri), and therefore the Lojbanic tense of the selbri, of a bridi; but all of the sumti as well. They do not, however, reference other participles (such as "xu", question/true-or-false...?). They also reference the meaning of the bridi, not the precise words.

Iff not edited, a pro-bridi repeats the exact same sumti, tense, etc. as the bridi being referenced (though not other participles, as per immediately preceding and above). However, if sumti, tenses, etc. are specifically stated, then they replace the respective sumti, tenses, etc. of the referenced bridi.

These anaphoric words (basyvla) can be used in quotations, but never refer to any of the supporting text outside the quotation, since speakers presumably do not know that they may be quoted by someone else.

However, a "ri"-series or "go'a"-series reference within a quotation can refer to something mentioned in an earlier quotation if the two quotations are closely related in time and context. This allows a quotation to be broken up by narrative material without interfering with the pro-sumti within it (see example below). Of course, there is no problem with narrative material referring to something within a quotation: people who quote, unlike people who are quoted, are aware of what they are doing.